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hurt

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adjective

hurt

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hurt distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hurt are damage, harm, impair, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When can damage be used instead of hurt?

Although the words damage and hurt have much in common, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When might harm be a better fit than hurt?

The words harm and hurt can be used in similar contexts, but harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

When could impair be used to replace hurt?

The words impair and hurt are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

When would injure be a good substitute for hurt?

While in some cases nearly identical to hurt, injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

When is mar a more appropriate choice than hurt?

While the synonyms mar and hurt are close in meaning, mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hurt
Verb
Yang’s Biao has appeared multiple times before and never fails to disappoint, but with our current 145 percent tariff on China, the character was really in top form and put into focus the notion that this economic strategy is going to hurt America most. Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 13 Apr. 2025 Many fear the company is going to have raise prices on its devices, potentially hurting sales, though others expect that a fast ramp-up of operations in India could mitigate those risks. Sarah Min, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
Lost in the hurt and anger of the trade is that Davis is a Hall of Fame player. Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2025 When paramedics arrived a few minutes later, Burch complained that his right side hurt. Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hurt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurt
Verb
  • Toronto has, for years, been aching for a superstar to stay in its midst.
    Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • That day, an elbow that ached throughout his rehab from Tommy John surgery gave way.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Their son and daughter-in-law, Cameron Bott, 35, and his wife, Diana, 36, whose nearby home was damaged in the tornado, initiated a discussion about starting a GoFundMe to offset potential insurance shortfalls in rebuilding the gas station.
    Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
  • There was a fire in 2023 that damaged part of the nightclub, authorities said.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In Arkansas, officials reported that three people died and 29 others were injured following overnight storms.
    Emma Bowman, NPR, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Three people died in Independence County, Arkansas, according to the state division of emergency management and 32 people were injured across eight counties.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Tom Richard Santos with John of Sherwood: After the death of Robin Hood, a grieving Little John returns to his ancestral Celtic tribe to protect it from the corrupt Church bent on stealing its land — and to confront the dark truth of his crimes as a Merry Man.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Bravo’s grieving family were further frustrated by the California Highway Patrol’s decision not to issue an Amber Alert — the statewide alert activated by authorities to help find missing children — after Lee and the children disappeared.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • At the Santa Monica test location after the rains, the level of beryllium — a metal that is toxic to fish and corals and causes respiratory distress in humans — was more than 10 times the maximum limit allowed.
    Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The result: Some doctors and hospitals have held back on treatments, waiting for the fetal heartbeat to stop or for patients to wind up in undeniable distress.
    Kavitha Surana, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Is there really harm in encouraging our kids to share their passions online?
    Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Persistent exposure to air pollution can cause permanent harm, creating health problems for children and setting them up to become sicker adults.
    Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • His estranged relationship with his mother pains him, and his constant traveling suggests a restlessness at his core.
    Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
  • As someone who has also been a lifelong animal lover, this pains me.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The dashboard was part of an extended pressure campaign from Buttigieg, who, during his tenure in the Biden administration, publicly challenged the major carriers to improve service and transparency—particularly after a summer marred by cancellations and flight delays.
    Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Indeed, Delaney’s personal life has been marred by what appears to be a pretty entrenched drinking problem, which has affected her career and led to very un-Diane Russell-like brushes with the law, the Daily Mail and other outlets have reported.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hurt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurt. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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